Chapter 54 Grievance
Ye Shengge pondered life under the big tree for an afternoon, her skin nearly peeling from the sun.
Meanwhile, Ye Shengge, who hadn't returned home for three days, had worried Ye Laopo. She wasn't concerned about whether the girl was living well outside, but rather that if something happened to her, the family would lose its income.
As evening approached, Ye Laopo, having eaten an early dinner, hurried to Ye Xingguo's home.
"Mom, why are you here?"
Li Xiumei opened the door with displeasure. This old woman was like a swarm of locusts whenever she visited, scouring everything clean wherever she went.
"What? Can't I come? Only your maternal family can? Don't forget this is my son's house."
Ye Laopo pushed aside the person blocking the door and sat down in a chair with a bold sweep, her eyes scanning for items she could take later.
As Ye Xingguo reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard two familiar voices and his head immediately began to ache. His mother and his wife could start a war whenever they met, so he had tried to avoid them seeing each other for years.
Ye Xingguo took a deep breath and used his key to open the door, feigning surprise.
"Mom, you're here."
Seeing her son, Ye Laopo forgot her quarrel with Li Xiumei.
"Xingguo, that girl Shengge hasn't returned for three days. Has something happened to her?"
Li Xiumei let out a scoff, her face full of contempt. They were all so worried about that little bastard, as if she were some precious treasure.
"Mom, why haven't you ever shown this much concern for your grandsons? Do you know what grade they're in? Do you know if they've eaten enough today? Constantly caring about some bastard, are you out of your mind?"
"Shut up."
"You dare scold me?"
Ye Xingguo and Ye Laopo spoke simultaneously.
"Did I say something wrong? I've endured for fifteen years, and you think I've given you too much face? Now you're all confronting me, have you given me any respect?"
Li Xiumei grew angrier as she spoke. When that child was brought back, she hadn't even had her own children yet. She would never forget the humiliation of that time. Yet, for the man in front of her, she had endured and endured. Now, it had all come to her doorstep.
Looking at his wife's contorted face, Ye Xingguo's annoyance intensified. He found her face so repulsive he didn't want to see it. If it weren't for the impossibility of divorce, he would have left her long ago.
"Xiumei, Shengge is not my child. Someone asked me to adopt her back then. So, there's no need for your complaints. I kept it from you to protect Shengge's background from getting out. Even if you didn't like her, she wasn't raised by you. So, there's no need for such constant bickering. It's so tiresome to fight every day."
Li Xiumei ignored Ye Xingguo's impatience. What had she just heard? She had bottled up her grievances for fifteen years, only to realize she had been misunderstanding. But this misunderstanding could have been avoided, yet she was made to suffer alone.
"Who caused all this? It was you, Ye Xingguo! You watched me suffer for over a decade without telling me, did you ever care about me? Even this old woman knew, but only I was kept in the dark. Who were you guarding against? Was I the only outsider?"
Li Xiumei started crying as she spoke. She felt so wronged. Why hadn't he revealed even a hint of the truth to her? Even if he didn't want people to know that girl's background, he could have at least told her she wasn't his husband's child.
Ye Xingguo was extremely agitated. Recently, Ye Shengge's slipping out of his control had already given him a headache. To come home and hear more quarreling, the image of that bright, beautiful face made him involuntarily want to leave.